The Lake County Rocket Club ended its fourth year with two fun and educational activities. F
irst was a field trip on May 21 to the Nike Missile Site at Fort Barry at the Golden Gate National Recreation Park in San Francisco. The rocketeers learned detailed history of the Cold War from docents who actually served at the site or other sites like it. They were told that there were numerous missile sites all around the SF Bay Area, many housing nuclear warheads. They learned about the rigorous training soldiers had to go through to learn the procedure for launching the missiles. They saw the Ajax and Hercules missiles which are stored underground. One of the 30 foot missiles was actually raised up for the students and put into launch position.
Two students, Leland Kirkpatrick and Ethan Melvin, actually took part in manually maneuvering the Nike Hercules missile into place so it could be elevated to ground level. The visit was an incredible and awe-inspiring experience for all who attended. Samuel Rippe, a three year veteran of the Rocket Club, said, “It was very interesting and scary learning that the nuclear weapons were radio controlled.” Faye Rippe noted that, “The missiles were not made to hit the air craft, but near it. They were supposed to hit them out of the air and all the airplanes around it.”
Then on Saturday May 28, the rocketeers assembled at Taylor Observatory in Kelseyville for a launch session. First, Bill Bordisso, club leader, went over launch procedures, safety precautions, and how to use the altimeters to measure how high the rocket goes. Most rockets launched successfully, high into the clear blue skies to the ohhhs and ahhhs of spectators, with parachutes opening correctly for an effective recovery so they could be launched again.
Many students expressed an interest in continuing with Rocket Club next year as well as hoping to pursuing a career with aeronautics or science in the future. Here are some of their comments: “I would love to be a rocket engineer at NASA,” Isabella Mays. “I plan on being a Navy fighter pilot, “ Carson Mayo. “Being in Rocket Club taught me about building and launching rockets, and how to do it safely. I also learned some science, like how gravity affects the rocket,” Jaalon Terry. “I’d love to have a career in NASA or DARPA (high tech or military inventions),” Samuel Rippe. “I’ve learned how to build a rocket. Also I have learned how to measure the height of the rocket. The tool you use is called an altimeter. I would join Rocket Club for more years (to come),” Madison Brewster-Ramirez.
The Lake County Rocket Club is a free club which is open to 4th to 8th graders county-wide. It meets at Taylor Observatory in Kelseyville on Wednesdays 4:30 — 6:30 p.m. during the school year and is a partnership between the Lake County Office of Education and the Children’s Museum of Art and Science. The club will resume again in September and an announcement will be in the paper and on the LCOE website. Call Bill Bordisso in September at 279-0923 to enroll or for more information.
Parents are always welcome to attend.
